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Let's take a step back and review: The Treo 650 is the best PDA/phone on the market today, in terms of balancing handheld computer and phone functions. It sits perfectly on the fulcrum between heavy, superpowerful PDA/phones like the Audiovox XV-6600 and smartphones like the Audiovox SMT-5600.

The Verizon Treo has the same beautiful backlit 320-by-320 screen, as well as the same cramped-but-usable keyboard and zippy 312-MHz processor as its Sprint and Cingular siblings.

As a phone, the Verizon Treo's sound quality is impeccable, with a clear speakerphone 12 dB louder than that of the Sprint version. The folks at Verizon also added their own push e-mail solution, Intellisync Wireless Sync, which aggregates POP/IMAP, Microsoft Exchange, and Lotus Notes accounts into a BlackBerry-like push e-mail solution (a desktop redirector is used for Exchange and Notes). We installed this solution and it worked as advertised, though the frequent Internet access took its toll on the charge life of our battery (it should be noted that you can also use palmOne's VersaMail for more traditional, direct POP/IMAP access).

Photos and videos taken with the Verizon Treo's camera were also very good. Colors were ever-so-slightly more even and images were a tiny bit less sharp than the Sprint Treo, but both differences were almost unnoticeable. Battery life was almost exactly the same as that of Sprint's model.

The Verizon Treo supports Bluetooth for headsets and HotSync, and you can send files from a Mac or PC to the Treo via Bluetooth. On the other hand, you cannot use the device as a modem for a laptop without buying additional third-party software.

Like the Sprint Treo, the Verizon model uses a national CDMA 1X data network to download e-mail and surf the Web: This is precisely where Verizon currently falls short of its potential. A 1X network is fine (we got a respectable 73 to 103 Kbps while downloading data from Verizon's network), but Verizon has a shiny new EV-DO network in 32 cities, running at six or seven times that speedand Treo owners can't tap into it.

Verizon also socks Treo owners with a brutal subscription fee: $44.99 per month for unlimited data. That's the same price as Cingular, but Sprint charges a mere $15.

Verizon's palmOne Treo 650 is still an excellent smartphone, and it gets special kudos for its audio quality. But we're going to withhold Editors' Choice because, unlike its Sprint and Cingular siblings, it doesn't make the most of its carrier's data network, and, what's more, it overcharges for the existing one.

The Verizon Treo is not currently available in stores, but can be bought from Verizon Wireless over the phone by calling 800-922-0204.

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About the Author

PCMag.com's lead mobile analyst, Sascha Segan, has reviewed hundreds of smartphones, tablets and other gadgets in more than 13 years with PCMag. He's the head of our Fastest Mobile Networks project, hosts our One Cool Thing daily Web show, and writes opinions on tech and society.
Segan is also a multiple award-winning travel writer. Other than ... See Full Bio

palmOne Treo 650 (Verizon)

palmOne Treo 650 (Verizon)

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